2008 Course Schedule

Summer Intersession 2008

The 2008 LIRA Summer Intersession, given between semesters, offers to retirees and those semi-retired, a sample of LIRA’s almost year-round program and very friendly community. The program is planned and much of it provided by the members themselves. Please note that Summer Intersession meetings will be held in Room 412 on the fourth floor of Fox Hall unless otherwise indicated.Visitors are always welcome.

May 28, 2008 - ANNUAL MEETING

King Room, Fox Hall

10 AM–Noon

Come and learn about the programs planned for the Summer Intersession.

June 4, 2008 - Nature Walk and Picnic (rain date July 2)

9:30 AM (car pool) The locale for this year’s walk is Sarah Doublet Forest – a property of the Littleton Conservation Trust. The forest contains a variety of natural and historical features including a vernal pool and an abandoned quarry. Portions of the walk traverse moderately up-down terrain. Wear comfortable shoes; carry water and insect repellant. Bring food and a lawn chair or blanket for a picnic lunch.

Directions: From Route 495 take exit 31 and go east on Route 2A/119 for about 3 miles. Immediately beyond the Acton town line, go right along Nagog Pond. Proceed straight through a four-way stop at the apple orchard. One-tenth mile further at a bend in the road, look for sign marking Sarah Doublet Forest. Go left on a narrow gravel road to parking area on the left at the top of the hill.

JUNE 11, 2008 - LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER

10 AM–Noon

Join Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years, and Director of the Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN) in an exploration of lifelong learning for older adults.

Not only will Nancy discuss the work of EIN and lifelong learning in the United States, she will also touch on the state of later-life learning around the world. Finally she will discuss her new book, Learning Later, Living Greater. The book shows people how to stay mentally and spiritually young by transforming their after-work years into a richly satisfying period of personal growth and social involvement. Autographed copies will be for sale at the special price of $15.

Coordinator:Toby Hodes*

June 13, 2008 - Book Discussion: The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

10 AM–Noon

Coordinator: Toby Hodes*

June 18, 2008 - MORE MYSTERIES WITH MELISSA PENNELL

10 AM–Noon

Dr. Melissa Pennell of UMass Lowell always leads interesting literature discussions. She is preparing another informative session for us about Mystery Writers.

Coordinator: Connie Lanseigne-Case*

June 25, 2008 - MOSQUE VISIT

9:30 AM (car poolers) The Anjuman-e-Ezzi Masjid (mosque) at 246 Rangeway Rd., North Billerica, serves the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community in N. Billerica and surrounding towns. The Mosque was dedicated in August 2004. Dawoodi Bohra Muslims - a world wide community of approximately one million worshipers who follow the 21st Imam sect of Shiite Islam. The mosque is an impressive structure, faithful to 10th to 12th century Fatimid dynasty architecture of Cairo. It is a gleaming white 3-story building flanked by double minarets. The foyer is carved marble with stone inlays covering the floor and walls. Through a set of glass doors is an enclosed court yard and prayer space, men on the 1st floor, women in open galleries above. The Mosque is decorated with many hand made elements by artisans from Cairo and India. The mosque was designed by an architect from Cairo, expert in traditional Islamic architecture, and one from New England, for local building codes and modern materials. This congregation used spaces at Congregation Shalom, Chelmsford, and 1st Parish Unitarian Church prior to the erection of this mosque. (Please note: visitors will be asked to remove their shoes before entering the prayer area.)

The visit will begin at approximately 10 AM.

Car poolers will meet at Hannaford’s at 9:30 AM.

Coordinator: Jerry Gilmore*

July 2, 2008 - Get ready to celebrate the Fourth!!

NO LIRA PROGRAM TODAY. (Rain date for June 4 Nature walk.)

July 9, 2008 - THE DIARY OF EBENEZER BRIDGE

Marty Spalding

10 AM–Noon

Marty Spalding, a Chelmsford author and historian, has published the "Diary of Ebenezer Bridge, 1749-1792." Rev. Bridge was pastor in Chelmsford for over 50 years. Marty will speak about her experiences and research in connection with the book. We shall meet in the Spalding House, 383 Pawtucket St., Lowell, where the pastor visited when the house was known as the Moses Davis Inn.

Coordinator: Connie Lanseigne-Case*

July 16, 2008 - CANAL BOAT TOUR, LOWELL NATIONAL PARK

10 AM at Visitor Center

The Canal Boat tour will pass through a newly opened canal segment that goes from the Concord River to the Merrimack River. This new segment will pass through 2 locks and will take about 2 hours. LIRA has been able to reserve one complete boat, capacity 25. It will depart at 10:45am. It is requested that all who sign up arrive at the Visitor Center by 10:15 am. Cost of the tour is $7 for seniors over 62, others $8. Those who arrive by 10:00 AM can also see a narrated film in the Visitors Center.

Coordinator: Jerry Gilmore*

July 23, 2008 - VISIT TO THE KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

9 AMHistorical events of the 1960s will be presented with a self guided tour and a 20 minute introductory film of the Kennedy years. Meet at Hannaford's at 9:00 AM for the trip to Columbia Point, Boston. Lunch is available at the JFK Café. Cost of trip is $17.50 (bus, tip, and admission) - $27.50 for a guest. Please make checks payable to Mary Willis. Deadline is July 6.

Coordinator: Mary Willis*

July 30, 2008 - “THEY ALL DID IT” – A MUSICAL PROGRAM

Dorothy Bromage*

10 AM

King room, Fox Hall

You are a musical prodigy or you just show a budding talent for music. Early in your musical education you are trotted off to a master to study composition. . And one of your first assignments is to take a theme and write some variations on that theme. The proof of this tradition is the endless list of compositions titled or sub-titled “Theme and Variations." And the proof of the enduring value of this music is the great quantity of music one hears often on classical radio stations and on readily available recordings. A goal of the presentation is that participants will recognize the musical form of theme and variations when they hear it. Selections will be presented on audio cassettes, CDs, video tapes, and piano rolls, with a sampling of well known and not-so-familiar examples from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century periods. The hands of some great pianists will be included with photos and descriptions.

Member participation will involve analyzing a theme and tracking its variations. There will be exercises to identify what is and is not a true variation.